Adventures in Parenting

If you have more than one child, you know it is unrealistic to think you can treat them all “equally.”
With different interests, personalities, and ages, it is impossible to be “equal.” The pie cannot be cut precisely the same. You can hear it already - “It’s not fair; he got the bigger piece!”
Our standard response [...]

Honestly, we parents get rather defensive when it comes to people giving us advice about our kids.

Before my brother had his own kids, he would often give me [unsolicited] advice. “Don’t let your son play with that.” or “You’re spoiling him by doing that.”
My response: Wait till you have your own kids.
And sure enough, [...]

This may surprise you, but I read that most teenagers actually rate their parents high on the list of people they trust to give them accurate information about sex.
Yet, we as parents are often embarrassed to talk about sex with our children, aren’t we?
Honestly, my mother never talked to me specifically about sex. It was [...]

Have you ever squeezed too much toothpaste and tried to get it back in? You can’t do it.
It’s the same with words. Out of frustration, we often say things we don’t mean. But once the words are out, you can’t take them back.
Here is a list of things I’ve actually heard parents say [...]

This is the 6th and last article on Effective Discipline
I heard on the radio of a dad telling the story of his 6 perfectly behaved children . He trained them properly alright. But as his children got older, he realized they were behaving out of fear and guilt. They did not dare disobey their [...]

Three days ago, my 18-year-old daughter underwent maxillofacial surgery - more commonly known as jaw surgery. Her under-bite was protruded to such an extent that it affected her eating and speech as well as her facial structure. We’ve been anticipating this surgery for the past 2 years, waiting for her jaw to completely grow [...]

Today’s article is written by Peter Aldin, founder of Great Circle Life Coaching. For over a decade, he has provided coaching, workshops and training that assist people to sharpen their personal and professional relationships and communication. Peter and his family live and work in Melbourne. I love his light-hearted (and helpful) look at fatherhood [...]

Whether it’s your hamster, your goldfish, or your family dog, it is not easy for a child to face the death of a pet. It is even harder for a parent to have to explain it.
At one time we had 6+ hamsters and 2 dogs. Now we are down to one rabbit.
We grieved the hardest [...]

This is the third article in the series on discipline. This one deals with younger children. Disciplining older children will be the topic of the next article in this series.

In approaching the subject of discipline, our idea is to think of what to do when a child misbehaves.
But the best defense is a [...]

This is the second article in the series on Discipline.
Honestly, no one likes to be disciplined, isn’t that right? Whether you are an adult being disciplined by the law or by your boss, or you are a child disciplined by a teacher or by a parent, it’s definitely no fun.

This is the first article in a series on Discipline
Dr. Laura was asked a question by a mother about the proper method of disciplining her son to behave well when they go to the market.
Her response I thought was right on. Dr. Laura said, “It’s not always about discipline.”

Children do not behave the way [...]

We parents recognize that the computer is a great tool and we want our children to use the computer.
But at the same time we are fearful for our children when they do use the computer!
My son is one of those that would have taken apart the radio and rebuilt a better one if he was [...]

During recess at the elementary school today where I was substituting, I observed with interest all the children playing in the playground. There were boys playing football and kickball in the field. Groups of kids were playing handball and basketball on the blacktop. Some were on the swings and monkey bars. Many of the [...]

Social network sites are the big thing. But the word MySpace strikes fear into the heart of concern parents. Should we allow our children to use MySpace? When my daughter asked if she can open an account, I had to think through this issue. Here’s how I decided…

I get lazy, do you?
I have half finished projects, a messy desk, and stacks of paperwork waiting for me.
Children are often lazy too. They scribble a few answers on their homework, write a paragraph or two, and consider their homework done.
When I was substituting at an after-school care center, I helped children do their school [...]

Would you rather clean the house or go shopping? Would you choose washing dishes over watching TV?
No one prefers work over pleasure - not you, and certainly not your kids. So it really should come as no surprise that our children will find every excuse to procrastinate doing their homework or chores. Don’t we as [...]

What do you hope your children will be like when they grow up? We want them to have a good education, be financially secure, settle down and have a good family, right?
Have you thought about wanting your children to be compassionate people?
Merriam-Webster defines compassion as “sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to [...]